President Dmitry Medvedev has signed an order relieving Murmansk Governor Dmitry Dmitriyenko of his duties, the Kremlin said in a statement Wednesday.
The order showed that Dmitriyenko himself submitted a resignation request to the president.
Marina Kovtun, first deputy speaker of the Murmansk regional legislature, will act as interim governor until another leader is appointed for the region.
Dmitriyenko's exit from office has been expected since the beginning of the year. Sources close to the Murmansk administration told Vedomosti in January that the governor had written a resignation letter and an order from Medvedev had been drafted. A Dmitriyenko spokesman denied the report at the time.
Analysts have rated Dmitriyenko's survivability as governor as low, noting that his random shake-ups in local leadership, conflicts with large financial and industrial groups as well as with local elites made his position untenable. At a January meeting on the effectiveness of public authorities, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticized Dmitriyenko's performance was "very, very low."
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
